It’s actually real!
The Golden Buddha is actually REAL!
I’ve always thought it was a beautiful parable about the fact that we’re all already perfect and that all we have to do is chip away at the plaster that’s gotten in the way.
(Don’t you love it when you can combine historical reality with metaphorical implications? I do!)
Somewhere around the 13th or 14th century in what is now Thailand, Buddhist monks made an epic, giant golden Buddha statue. It was 10 feet tall and weighed over 5.5 tons.
Then in 1767, Burmese invaders were approaching, destroying and looting all the temples. So the monks covered their golden Buddha statue in plaster with some colored glass to conceal its true value.
The trick worked TOO well.
With the monks dead and/or gone, the statue was ignored. Once the invaders were kicked out and the king reestablished order, the statue was moved around and always relegated to an insignificant spot in an insignificant temple.
Then in 1955 (nearly 200 years later!) the statue was being moved to a new location when the ropes snapped and the statue fell to the ground. Some of the plaster chipped off, revealing the golden surface beneath the stucco.
That 10 foot, 5.5 ton “stucco” statue was nearly pure gold and worth $250 million dollars!
So…what does this have to do with me and you?
Who do we think we really are at the core? What have we covered up?
Do you remember this quote?
And, just for giggles, I LOVE the following image of a healthy self image, of who we can actually be! Not inadequate…but powerful! We are so much more than we allow ourselves to acknowledge! SIGH…
